Captive Heart
by BlazingEmblem
Summary: Felix finds himself distracted lately, and a certain singing mage might be responsible...


"Felix, are you listening?"

Startled, he looked up at Ingrid and Sylvain, seeing the concerned look on their faces.

"What were you saying?" he muttered.

Ingrid sighed. "I was talking about how you were distracted on the battlefield, and suffered an injury as a result."

"It was just a small blunder. It won't happen again."

"Except it's not just in the battlefield." Ingrid pointed out. "You were distracted during the war meeting and our sparring match. The Professor was very worried about you, and said that they can't have you be distracted on the battlefield, especially when one of the most important battles of the war is coming up."

Right. The battle at Gronder Field would be coming in a few weeks.

Except this time, it wouldn't be a mock battle.

"He sent us to check up on you." Sylvain added. "In case there was anything wrong."

"Fine." he said through clenched teeth. "I… have something on my mind."

"I figured." Ingrid nodded.

"I… I can't get them out of my mind." he admitted. "It's like I'm their captive!"

"So it's a person you're talking about." Ingrid observed. "Is it Dimitri?"

"I wouldn't spare that wild boar a second thought." he scowled, even if deep down he knew that wasn't true.

"Your father, then?"

"Not him either."

"Dedue?"

"No."

How many people did they think he had problems with?!

"...Sylvain?"

"Wait, hold on Ingrid!" Sylvain protested. "Why do you think I did anything?"

The red haired philanderer looked at him, a smirk on his face.

"You see, Ingrid, it's obvious that our dear friend Felix has a girl on his mind."

"He's not you, Sylvain." Ingrid sighed.

"...He's right." he grumbled, almost inaudibly.

"He's right?" Ingrid gasped.

"I'm right?" Sylvain gasped as well.

"Why are you surprised?!" he snapped.

"Do you… want to spar with them, Felix?" Ingrid asked.

"If that were the problem, I just would have asked." he said.

"I thought this day would never come…" Sylvain chuckled. "It looks like our little Felix has a crush."

"Shut up. No I don't." he frowned, looking away as he crossed his arms.

"Well, can you at least tell us why they're on your mind?" Ingrid asked.

He groaned, figuring that the sooner he got this over with, the sooner the Professor would trust him on the battlefield again.

"Because… their singing, their dancing, their smile… everything about her… I can't get her out of my head, and I don't know why!" he admitted, frustrated. "It's just as I said! I'm their captive!"

Ingrid's lips curled into a small smile, quickly covering her mouth to prevent herself from laughing.

Sylvain, on the other hand, couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, you're a captive all right." Sylvain laughed. "Looks like this girl's captured your heart!"

Unable to hold it in anymore, Ingrid burst into a fit of giggles.

"I'm leaving." he scowled, rising from his seat.

"F-Felix, wait." Ingrid called out, trying to regain her composure. "M-My apologies… it's just… well, I can't claim to be an expert, but I'm sure that what you've described…"

"Oh yeah, he's definitely got a crush." Sylvain said. "Looks like you'll need someone great with women to help you!"

"Oh really?" Felix questioned. "And would you happen to know anyone like that?

Sylvain nearly fell out of his seat.

"Felix, you wound me!" Sylvain said, motioning his arms theatrically. "If you'd just let me help your game, you'd land this girl for sure!"

"My… game?" Felix repeated.

"Yeah, just use one of my lines." Sylvain advised.

He walked up to him, whispering into his ear.

"I am _not _saying that!" he said.

"Come on, that one's a classic." Sylvain argued.

"You aren't spreading nonsense, are you, Sylvain?" Ingrid sighed. "What Felix needs to do is act like a gentleman."

"For the last time, it's not a crush!" he protested.

"Maybe he should ask someone who's married, or was once married at least." Ingrid said, ignoring him. "Didn't Seteth mention a wife at one point?"

"Ahh… I wouldn't go to him." Sylvain muttered. "The last time I mentioned girls to Seteth, he got angry at me."

"That's probably because you were flirting with Flayn."

"That only happened on- I-I mean, no, Ingrid, I would never flirt with Flayn!"

He shook his head, muttering to himself as he attempted to sneak away.

"Sylvain, you flirt with everyone! The scarecrow, my granny… and even that tree in the skirt!

"H-Hey, those were years ago. I'm a lot better now!"

Fearing that this argument would last a while, he stealthily snuck his way out of the room while they were distracted.

* * *

He began aimlessly meandering around the monastery, his walk eventually leading him to the dining room.

A crush? Him?

It was completely ridiculous!

But still… what else could it be?

"Felix?"

His gaze shifted to his side, where Mercedes was carrying a plate of sweets.

"Are you all right?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm fine."

"Now, now." she said. "I've known you for some time, Felix. Enough to know that whenever you say that you're fine, that it's usually the opposite."

He didn't respond.

"Would you care to talk about it?" she asked. "I have some honeyed sweet buns, if you'd like."

"I don't like sweets."

"Oh dear." she frowned. "And to think, Annie and I went to so much trouble…"

"...Annette helped you make those?" he asked.

He could have sworn he saw a glimmer in her eye.

"Why, yes!" she beamed. "But I suppose if you don't want any…"

"I never said I didn't want one." he said, perhaps a little too quickly.

She let out a small laugh. "Oh course. Here, take this one."

She handed him one that looked slightly different than the others.

"Annie told me that we needed to make sure some of them weren't that sweet, or else you wouldn't like it." she explained.

"I see…"

He wasn't wasteful with food, but if someone gave him sweets, we would usually give them to someone else.

Except as soon as he found out that Annette helped make them, he suddenly wanted to try it.

The rational part of his mind acknowledged how ridiculous this was. What did it matter who was making it?

Still, he found himself taking a bite out of the sweet bun.

"Well, how is it?"

"It's… not horrible." he admitted. "Not as sweet as I thought it would be."

"It must be the secret ingredient Annie added." Mercedes said.

"A… secret ingredient?" he repeated, taking another bite.

"Yes." Mercedes smiled. "It was love."

He almost choked on his food.

"What?!"

"Just kidding." she giggled. "Oh, but if you don't mind, could you bring some of these sweet buns to Annie? She rushed off before they finished baking. She said she'd be in the library."

He nodded, talking a few of them off of her hands.

"Thank you!" she smiled. "Now, I need to hand these out to the others."

"Ingrid and Sylvain were just talking to me in one of the old classrooms." he told her. "I recall both of them like sweet buns… just be careful that Ingrid doesn't snatch the entire plate while you're not looking."

"Come now, she wouldn't do that." she laughed. "But… you said that Sylvain likes these as well?"

"Yeah, why?"

"O-Oh, no reason." she said, her cheeks tinted pink. "Anyway, thanks again for helping out."

He nodded, parting ways with her as he made his way towards the library.

He had better feed her before she starts singing again.

Then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing...

* * *

"_Making sweets is lots of fun, gotta make my sweet honey buns~_"

He could hear Annette's voice as he opened the door to the library.

"That's a new one." he chuckled.

"BAH! F-Felix!" Annette gasped. "You were eavesdropping again!"

"No, I just got here." he argued. "Mercedes wanted me to give you some of your sweets."

"Oh yeah, the sweets I made with Mercie!" she beamed. "I'm glad she was there… I probably would have caused an explosion in the kitchen if it were just me…"

"The kitchen?" he said, the faintest hint of a smirk on his face. "Not here in the library?"

"Are you ever going to let that go?" she groaned. "Just pass me one of the sweets…"

"Here you go… honey bun."

"W-What did you call me?!" she yelled, her face beginning to flush.

He blinked. "You did make honey buns, didn't you?"

"O-Oh, right."

She took the bun from him, quickly devouring it.

"Mmm, these turned out great!" Annette beamed. "Hey… did you end up trying yours?"

"I did... It was fine."

"Oh… that's good."

"Yeah…"

"Um..."

"Uh..."

"So, what were you doing up here in the library."

"I was looking to see if there was any information on Demonic beasts." she explained. "But no luck so far. I guess that's not really something the church would want people to know about."

"I guess not." he agreed.

She climbed atop a stool so that she could resume her search.

"Still, there are so many different types!" she exclaimed. "Some are based on wolves, others on birds… I wonder what other kinds are out there!"

"Maybe one based on a bear." he teased. "Or a swamp beastie."

"I can't believe that you remember all those embarrassing songs…" she groaned.

"I… don't think they're embarrassing." he whispered.

A small, selfish part of him was glad that he seemed to be one of the only people who knew about her songs. It made them seem more… special.

"You don't?"

"No, I…"

Maybe she would be able to help him

"Look." he sighed. "Did you hear what the professor said? About me being distracted?"

"I did hear something like that." she nodded from atop her stool. "What's the matter?

"It's… it's because of you."

"Me?" she asked. "What did I do?"

"It's because… I can't stop thinking about you!" he admitted. "When I'm asleep, when I'm in battle… I always think of you and your singing and dancing and-"

He cut himself off, thinking he was making a fool of himself.

"You know what, forget it!" he scowled. "I don't know what I'm saying!"

As he turned to walk away, he heard her call out to him.

"H-Hold on, what are you- AHH!"

She slipped, falling off of the stool…

Thankfully, he was quick enough to catch her in his arms.

"Stupid stool!" she complained, before looking upwards. "O-Oh, Felix…"

She seemed to notice the same thing he had noticed.

That their faces were very close right now…

"Felix, are you… blushing?" she asked, a nervous smile on her face.

"I don't know. Shut up. I'm not blushing." he said, unable to help the small smile from forming on his face.

He tried to turn away to hide the fact that he _was_ blushing, but couldn't help but look back at her when he heard her giggling.

A giggle that, along with her songs, was music to his ears.

And the source of those giggles and songs… were her lips.

Lips that he found himself desperately wanting to kiss.

So he did.

"Felix?"

Slowly, he bent his head, and captured her lips with his own.

She gave no objection.

In fact, she seemed to welcome it. As, he felt her wrap her arms around his neck for support as she tried to deepen the kiss.

Her lips were soft… and tasted somewhat sweet…

And this was one sweet he definitely enjoyed the taste of…

Reluctantly, he broke apart, staring into her eyes.

"Oh… wow, um… hehehe…" Annette nervously laughed. "I, um… didn't think you'd return my feelings like that."

"Your feelings?" he asked.

"I might have had a teensy tiny crush on you starting back during our academy days." she admitted. "But I got really embarrassed when you heard about my songs. I thought you were making fun of me, but looking back, you've always been really nice to me, huh?"

"I really did enjoy your singing." he confessed.

"Hey… Felix?"

"Hmm?"

"The… next few battles of the war are going to be really tough." she whispered. "So… stay safe, ok?"

"I promise."

"Good." she smiled. "Now, um… maybe we could… go to my room? So I could… sing… some more."

He raised an eyebrow. "But why would we need to go to your room just for… oh. Right, then..."

He began making his way towards the exit.

"W-Wait?! You aren't going to carry me there, are you?!" she gasped. "What if people see us? What if either of our fathers see us?!"

Remembering what Sylvain had whispered to him earlier, he glanced over at the stool that she had slipped and fell from, then back down at her face, his lips curling into a small smile as he spoke.

"Then they'll know that you've fallen for me."


End file.
